


Battleborne

by Potter_Marvel



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Avengers Family, Blood and Gore, Civil War Fix-It, F/M, Family Feels, Feels, Fluff, Hallucinations, Hurt Peter Parker, Hydra (Marvel), Injury, Kidnapping, M/M, Mentioned Skip Westcott, Mind Manipulation, Panic Attacks, Peter Parker Angst, Peter Parker Has a Twin, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Peter Parker, Psychological Torture, Recovery, Sibling Bonding, Siblings, Team as Family, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Torture, Twins, Violence, Whump, mentions of past non/con
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2020-02-10 14:21:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18662137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Potter_Marvel/pseuds/Potter_Marvel
Summary: When you're living the life of a superhero, nothing ever goes the way it was planned. You have to be ready to act in a moments notice.Zemo has escaped from SHIELD, and he has a mission to finish. To make the Avengers suffer. To watch them dwell in pain and guilt. And what better way to do that, than to kidnap the two teenagers they love and care for most?<><><><><><><><><><>*In which Civil War ends differently and the team comes back together.





	1. Unleashed (Prologue)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, Potter_Marvel here. Just a heads up, in this fic, I'm adding a character used in the Marvel comics, Teresa Parker.  
> Originally, she was younger than Peter, but I'm changing her age so that the two of them are twins. In addition to this, for my fic, both Peter and Teresa grow up in the same household together and share the same Spider-Powers.  
> *I have taken the name of Teresa’s character but changed some of her background and characteristics. So she’s kind of like an OC in a way. 
> 
> *Sadly I don't own the plot or characters.  
> *All rights go to Marvel ;))  
> *All chapters in this fic (including the title of the fic “Battleborne”) are named after Two Step From Hell songs. (I highly recommend checking out their music, it's incredible!)  
> *PLEASE READ THE TAGS! (There may be some triggering content in this fanfic, proceed with caution.)  
> *There are a few mentions of past non/con in this, so be aware. (There will be NO descriptions, flashbacks, or future scenes of any sort. There is only the allusion of what happened in the past.)  
> Remember: comments and kudos are always a great motivator! :)))
> 
> Thank you all for clicking on this fic and giving it a chance!  
> Love you 3000

Date: March 2, 2016.  
Time: 2:36 PM  
Location: Andrade Lab, Queens 

God this trip was so boring. All Teresa had done so far was listen to an agonizing presentation about spiders. She really didn’t know how anyone was still paying attention at this point. It had to have been the dullest speech to ever exist, considering the fact that the woman speaking was reading off of cue cards in monotone. In all honestly, it looked as if all she wanted to do was to go home and pass out on the couch to watch TV.  
Like, even the presentations at school where teachers would drone on about how you shouldn’t do drugs or how to have safe sex weren’t as bad as this, and that was really saying something. 

Teresa’s science teacher, Mr. Del, had taken the class to a lab to study the field of Arachnology for their biology unit.  
They were supposed to be gathering information for their essays, but all Teresa thought during this time, other than the fact she was bored out of her mind, was how pathetic this whole trip was. The information she was being told wasn’t anything she didn’t already know. And even if she hadn’t had already known all these facts, it wasn’t something like she couldn’t just ask Peter for the answers later on. The two of them had a combined IQ of nearly 300. Together, they could ace any test or project. 

Holding in a groan of boredom, Teresa tuned out the presentation and began to look around the room and noticed her brother standing only a couple of feet in front of her. And he just so happened to be looking Liz Allen, what a surprise that was. 

Liz was the top girl in the school. The ‘head cheerleader’. The person everyone wanted to be friends with, because being apart of her inner circle, automatically got you a pass to the top of the hierarchy at Midtown High. 

And don’t take this the wrong way, Liz was a great person, one of the nicest people Teresa had ever met in all honesty. It was just the fact that Peter really didn’t have a chance. Not with this girl. And that was just the truth, whether he decided to accepted it or not. It was only realistic to think that if you never talked to someone, they probably wouldn’t fall for you, or even notice you, to say the least. 

So, for what must have been at least the hundredth time, Teresa decided to confront her brother and see if she could give him the push he needed to actually go up to Liz without throwing up in his own mouth.  
It probably wouldn’t work, seeing as it never had before, but it was still worth a try. What harm could it do?

Waiting until the woman that was giving the presentation finished talking and motioned for the group of students to follow her to the next exhibit in the lab, Teresa began to make her way over to Peter.

Now, just to confirm this, Teresa wasn’t one to normally wait around. Patience was something she defiantly lacked in. But she also didn’t want to draw Mr. Del’s attention over towards her by walking around when no one else was, only a pure idiot would do that, or perhaps someone like MJ who couldn’t care less about getting a detention. 

That was the very reason she had to be careful, besides staying at school later than needed, detention was the worst form of torture. And given the fact that Mr. Del didn’t particularly take kindly to students who didn’t follow directions, one of which was to pay complete attention to the presentation, she didn’t want to risk getting a pink slip. 

As everyone continued making their way over to the next station, Teresa quickened her speed to catch up with Peter, who still hadn’t taken his eyes off of Liz. 

Weaving in between groups of other people, she called out to him, but he didn’t seem to notice her at all. 

“Pete.” She tried again but still got no answer. He was too captivated by what he and Ned called Liz’s ‘supernatural beauty’. ‘It’s so pathetic, no wonder the two of them are labelled the nerds of our grade’ she thought to herself smiling. Even if Peter was a nerd, he was her nerd. 

“Peter!” Teresa yelled again. Her brother, however, didn’t even flinch. 

“Oh for the love of god,” she muttered to herself before rushing up behind him to tap his shoulder. 

“Ey, Pete.” Teresa waved a hand sarcastically in her brother’s face when he turned around. 

“Oh, hey Tess.” He said in a haze not really paying attention to her at all. Instead, he just continued walking on forwards to keep up with the group, and Liz, of course. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t see the person in front of him stop at the upcoming exhibit, and ended up walking right into them. 

Peter stumbled backwards into Teresa who caught him with two arms.

“Watch it, Parker.” The boy he had run into snapped before turning his attention back to the arachnologist that was talking about some sort of ‘genetically designed spider’. 

After Peter regained his footing, with the help from his sister, he mumbled a quick ‘thank you’, and turned his back to face her as his cheeks started turning red out of embarrassment.  
He hated it when others so he looked like this. Being vulnerable in public, or even at home, wasn’t on the list of things Peter did. Even if it was only Teresa or May around, he wouldn’t let them see him upset. But he had learned how to cope over the years, just like Teresa. After dealing with anxiety for so long, you began to learn how to cope, how to manage your stress. 

Thinking back to the reason she had come over to talk with her brother, Teresa remembered the problem. ‘Peter can’t talk to this girl, or any girls for that matter.’ Rolling her eyes while laughing slightly in her head, Teresa decided that she couldn’t just stand there watching her brother stare at this girl any longer. It had been months since he had tried talking to Liz, so it was time to try again. 

She leant closer to him so no one else would hear, and thankfully didn’t have to worry too much because they were both at the back of the group, so no one was behind anyhow. 

Pretending she was still listening to the lecture by keeping her head pointed directly ahead, Teresa whispered just loud enough for Peter to hear but not enough for anyone to notice someone else was speaking. 

“Are you ever going to talk to her?” She questioned. 

“What?” Peter questioned quietly as he looked over at his sister. 

“Liz. Are you ever going to talk to her?”

Peter tensed up a bit at this. “Oh, um... Ya,” he started scratching the back of his neck uncomfortably. “Ya, I’ll talk to her. Just- um, just not right now. I’ll do it later.” 

“Pete, you know all too well that your definition of ‘later’, is really ‘never’.” She said still looking forwards. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Peter hissed more loudly than before. 

“Whenever you say you’ll do something later, you never end up actually doing it. And be quiet, we’re gonna get in trouble.”

Teresa had to hide a small smirk when she saw Peter clenched his fists slightly. Watching him get all wound up over something so small like this was really quite hilarious. As close at the two siblings where they each had their fun annoying the other the pieces. 

“First off,” Peter started, “That is so not true, I always do what I say I’m gonna do! And second, I’m not being loud, you are!” 

“Oh for the love of god Pete, who are trying to convince?” Teresa shot back grinding this time, she couldn’t hide it anymore, and only because of the reaction she was getting out of him, but because she also knew that she was right. Peter was only arguing now because he didn’t like to lose a fight. 

“I’m not trying to convince anyone! I’m saying the truth!” He nearly yelled this time grabbing Mr. Del’s attention. 

“Parker,” their teacher started as he walked over to them. 

“Fuck.” He muttered under his breath as Teresa slowly turned away from him trying to hide the fact she’d been talking. 

“Tess, this is your fault!” Peter hissed, his voice hiding a hint of sarcasm. That’s how Teresa knew he was only somewhat mad at her, not full out pissed.  
Peter never really got pissed off either though, at least not as Teresa. He never gave her the cold shoulder either, he would just laugh off whatever had happened afterwards. 

“Parker,” their teacher called again somewhat impatiently. 

After poking his sister lightly on the hip causing her to stifle a laugh, Peter walked over to the side of the group where Mr. Dell was waiting. 

Teresa continued to smile slightly at the fact that it was Peter getting in trouble instead of her for once but stopped immediately upon hearing her teachers next words. “You too Teresa.” He called out receiving a groan of annoyance in response. 

Slowly, hoping that maybe somehow at this moment her teacher would just forget her existence, she turned around, but only to find him looking right at her. 

“Well, there's no way out of this one,” Teresa said to herself and began to make her way over to where he was awaiting her and her brother. 

Seeing that Teresa and Peter were indeed following, Mr. Dell turned around and went over to the other side of the room away from the rest of the class, who were all at this point paying more attention the twins then the lady talking. 

He stopped at the side corner near the doors exiting the building to turn and face the sibling. And to Teresa and Peter’s surprise, he didn’t seem to be that angry, only tired. Most likely because he had to deal with Flash and his group of friends earlier. He was probably running out of steam by this point in the day. 

“Look,” he began pinching the bridge of his nose. “You two know you’re supposed to be respectful during a lecture, and since I’m really tired,” he more so mumbled the last part to himself, “I’m just going to let you off with a warning.” 

Both siblings turned to look at each other in amazement, this never happened to anyone. A five minutes lecture was would normally be what you’d get at best. Mr. Dell must be hella tired if he was letting them off this easily. 

“Now get back over there and get some notes for your essay. Dr. Jones will probably do talking soon, so get as much more done as you can before your free time.“ 

“Thank you, Me. Del.” Peter said letting out a sigh of relief as Teresa simply gave him a crooked grin, a sarcastic wink, and a pair of finger guns. 

“Come on, Tess.” Her brother said hurriedly hooking his arm around hers to drag her back to the rest do the group and away from their teacher as fast as possible. He sure wasn’t going to stand around any longer than needed and wait for their teacher changing his mind. 

“Why’d you do that?” He asked Teresa referring to her finger guns and wink once they were a good 20 feet away. 

“Question is, why not?” Teresa grinned and started skipping along beside him. 

“Why are you so happy right now? We just got in trouble!”

“Pete,” she laughed, “We didn’t get in trouble, we just got a warning. Your overreacting. Now come on, that lady’s done speaking, it’s time to have our individual study time. I already see people splitting up into groups.” 

She sped up and hurried ahead over to the room on the far left side of the hall, the one they weren’t supposed to go in. 

“Tess!” Peter yelled at his sister, quickening his pace to catch up before she went inside. 

“Tess, stop! Come on, I don’t wanna get in trouble again. Besides, you don’t even care about this trip, you already said it was boring! Why are you suddenly so interested?”

Teresa, however, only resorted to sticking her tongue out at him while continuing to prance ahead towards the door before creeping inside. 

“Oh come on,” Peter whined. “Why? Why me?”

He dragged himself over to the room Teresa had gone into and looked around him to see if anyone was looking his way. Once sure no one was paying him any attention, he turned the knob and slipped inside.

The room was fairly small, maybe half the size of a regular classroom at school. He noticed that the lighting seemed to be slightly brighter than out in the main seminar room and the wall and tiling were a sterile white.  
Cages upon cages filled with hundreds of spiders lined the walls. 

Staying near the door, still clutching the handle, ready to leave in a moments notice, Peter looked around the room and spotted his sister looking at a glass cage filled with a dozen or so brightly coloured spiders.

“Tess, we’re not supposed to be in here!”

“Oh Pete, that’s just a precaution thing.” She said not bothering to look up from the neon blue spider she was currently eyeing. 

“That’s the point! It’s a precaution because it’s dangerous!” He was gesturing his hands in all directions now. 

“Everything is in a cage, how is that dangerous?”

“It doesn’t matter! We’re not supposed to be in here!”

“Wow, I’ve never seen anything like this,” Teresa mumbled, ignoring him. 

Peter began to look around the room frantically, trying to come up with a way to convince Teresa to leave.  
That’s when he noticed the sign above the door, his eyes bulging out in concern upon reading it. They were in the lab with the genetically engineered spiders. 

That also solved the question as to why Teresa was so interested. She didn’t care about any of the other discovered species, she already knew about them. It was boring to re-read information.  
But these genetically engineered ones? That’s what caught her eye. 

“Tess...” Peter said worriedly. “Tess, we gotta go.”

“Just hold on a sec, I wanna see the rest of these.”

“Tessa...”

“Give me a minutes Pete! There’s just this one left I haven’t gotten to— Huh, I don’t see it anywhere.” 

Beginning to tap the glass to see if the spider perhaps had some sort of camouflaging ability, Teresa grew increasingly intrigued. It was only a small cage that held the spider, so why couldn’t she see it?

Suddenly, Peter shrieked from beside the door. “Tessa! There’s a spider!”

“Ya, I know, Pete,” she said not bothering to look up. “That’s kinda the point of the field trip, to see and to study spiders.”

“No, no, no, that’s not what I meant. There’s a spider on me!”

At this, she turned around to see her brother jumping up and down wiggling his hand all over the place trying to get the red and blue arachnid off of him. Teresa immediately burst out in laughter and doubled over holding her knees in a crouched position. 

“It’s not funny! Get it off!” He continued to squeal.

“This is karma for putting that beetle in my bed!” She said cackling with tears falling down her cheeks. “This the best payback ever!” 

Peter wasn’t scared of many things. Snakes, he was fine with. ‘They’re just like spaghetti noodles’ he used to say.  
The dark, that didn’t bother him at all. When he and Teresa were younger he’d enter any unlit room first and check for monsters to make her feel better.  
But when it came to spiders, that’s when he lost it. That’s why he had been near the back of the group during the presentation and demos. Sure, he thought that spiders were fascinating creatures, a nerds dream species even, but he sure as hell didn’t want to get any closer to them than necessary. 

“Teresa, please! Get it off of me!” 

“Ok, ok, I’m coming.” She walked over to her brother deciding he had had enough torture. 

“Holy shit Tess, I think it’s gonna bite me!”

“Peter, calm down, it isn’t going to bite you.” 

Peter began shaking his head violently and said the most ridiculous thing yet. Perhaps the most ridiculous thing in his life. “Yes it is, I can see it in its eyes! It’s going to— ow! Shit, I told you! Get it off! Get it off! Hurry, get it off!” 

Grabbing her brother’s wrist pulling him closer, Teresa took hold of the spider and pulled it off of his hand. 

Still holding the spider between her thumb and index finger, she held it up to Peter. 

“See, not that hard.” 

“Tess, put that thing down, it might bite you too.” 

“Peter, I don’t think it actually bit you. You were just freaking out so your mind— Shit!” She flung her arm to side knocking the spider off and grabbed hold of her finger. “It bit me!”

“See! I told you! We shouldn’t have come in here...”

 

<><><><><><><><><><>

For the first time in her life, Teresa excepted it, the fact that maybe her brother was right. That maybe she should have listened to him. That maybe she shouldn’t have gone in that room, because later that night, all hell broke loose.  
Never in her life had she ever experienced that much pain. It felt as if needles were being driving into her torso from all direction. Her body was on fire, tingling and burning from what appeared to be no source at all. It just happened. All of a sudden. One minute she had been getting ready for bed, and the next she was collapsed on her hardwood floor rifling in pain. It was unbearable, so much so that she ended up passing out after a couple of minutes. 

But the thing was, that once she woke up, her mind was changed immediately, as was her brother’s. The spider bite wasn’t that bad after all. It led to a new chapter in their lives, to a new beginning. It had unleashed two new heroes into the world.


	2. Blackout

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is up! *does a happy dance because I updated 2 days before I thought I would*  
> Hope you all enjoy:))  
> Remember to leaves comments/feedback, and to hit the kudos button!
> 
> TW for this chapter:  
> \- Implied past non-con (Canon involving Skip Westcott) (This is only IMPLIED, there are NO descriptions or visuals)  
> \- Mention of past trauma and ptsd

It was supposed to be a celebration, a time of joy, not heartache. There was supposed to be laughter across the dance floor, not a pool alcohol staining it from all the smashed glasses thrown out of anger and grief. Peoples eyes should have been filled with glee, not bloodshot and dripping with tears. The Avengers were supposed to be celebrating the new additions to their team, not wondering if they were still alive.  
But then again, when you’re living the life of a superhero, nothing ever goes the way it was planned. You have to be ready to act in a moments notice. 

<><><><><><><><><><>

Date: November 19, 2017  
Time: 3:32 PM  
Location: Midtown High School, Queens 

“Peter, would you hurry it up?” Teresa called out to her brother who was standing a couple of feet behind her tying his shoe. 

School had ended nearly 10 minutes ago, and she was quite eager to get the hell out of there, as was Ned who had to catch his bus.  
Normally he walked home with Teresa and Peter since they lived fairly close to each other, but he was going to his grandmother’s tonight and didn’t fancy being late. It was kind of adorable how much he cared about her, but then again, that was Ned with everyone. He was just an overall sweet kid. 

“Just hold on a sec,” Peter replied continuing on with his laces without moving any faster. 

“Ugh, Peter, you’re so fucking slow.”

“Do you want me to die from tripping over my shoelaces?” 

“It’s not possible to die from tripping over a shoelace!” Teresa said throwing her hands up above her head in a somewhat sarcastic manner before bringing them back down to her sides rather rashly.  
She was always one to overreact in a superficial way, and this was just one example of many. 

“Umm, yes, it is,” Peter said referring to his sister's previous comment. “You can die doing pretty much anything.”

 

“Oh my god, can we just get home already? We have to be ready when Happy comes to pick us up and Ned has to catch the bus!” She whined again while Ned remained silent. He had learned not long after meeting the twins, that getting in the middle of something with them was not the greatest idea. It was better to let them finish it off themselves. 

Finally done tying his shoe, Peter stood up and jogged up to where his sister and best friend were waiting for him in the middle of the hallway. 

“Alright, let’s go!” He clapped his hands motioning to the stairs leading back down to the main floor of the school. 

“Only took you 5 frickin minutes,” Teresa mumbled to herself, though she wasn’t really mad. She had that certain little smirk on her face and glint in her eyes saying she was really just having fun teasing her brother around. It was how they showed their affection to each other. 

Peter made his way down the stairs with Ned by his side and Teresa just behind. At this time of the day the two boys indulged in what Teresa referred to as ‘their dork off time’. And before departing for a weekend like this one where they wouldn’t be seeing each other, these couple minutes were vital for their survival. Nerd talk was what they lived off of, it was like a form of oxygen for them. 

“So, 12:00 am?” She heard Ned ask her brother who confirmed the question with a nod. 

“And don’t be a second late, their gonna sell real quick.” He added.

“I know, it’s going to be pretty intense. We better get ready early and bring some extra phones just in case. We don’t know how this will turn out.” 

“Ok, hold up,” Teresa stopped midway on the stairs and raised a hand signalling for them to do the same. “I know I’ve already got this all wrong because it sounds like you two are planning some sort of heist or on watching a black market drug deal, and I know there's no fucking chance in that happening. So, I’m just gonna skip the part where I keep talking and just ask you what the hell you’re talking about.” 

Smiles immediately crept across both Peter and Ned’s faces upon hearing Teresa’s remark. It took quite a bit in them to hold back from bursting out in laughter.  
Even the way Teresa was talking was  
enough to crack a smile upon anyone’s face. She just had such a unique way of sassing sarcastic comments. 

“Well, you’re definitely not wrong about that fact that we aren’t scheming on some heist,” Peter said. “I mean, first of all, you need a group of people to do that, like a cult, and secondly—“ 

“And secondly,” his sister interrupted, “Neither of you has the guts to try that sort of thing, let only pull it off.” 

“Hey! It’s not like you’d be able to do it either!”

“Never said I could.” She shrugged her shoulders and started down the stairs again. 

“Care to tell me what you two were talking about though?”

“Oh, Peter and I were just going over our plan for buying Rogue One tickets, they go on sale at 12:00,” Ned answered. 

“Shit, I forgot the tickets were going on sale today. Well, tomorrow.” Teresa corrected herself. “Can one of you get me a pass too? I’ll pay you back.”

“You can’t get one yourself?” Her brother questioned. 

“I have stuff with Nat and Wanda tonight after Tony’s party. I won’t have time. Besides,” she said in a more sarcastic tone, “if you two already have a plan, I don’t want to be the one to ruin it.” 

“Tess, I know that voice and I know what you’re trying to do—“

“But you’re gonna get the tickets for me anyway, aren’t you?” She turned around smirking. 

Peter let out a groan and nodded his head. “You know me too well.”

Smiling contently, Teresa jumped down off of the last step to the main floor and turned around to hug her brother. 

“Thanks, Pete, you’re the best!”

“Ya? Well just wait ‘till you get your ticket, you might not be thanking me later on,” He grumbled quietly, but Teresa still heard. 

“I swear to god Peter, if you make me sit in the couple's row again, I will personally ask Satan if I can be the ghost that haunts your dreams.” 

“Well, you did only asked for a ticket,  
you weren’t specific,” Peter added, which resulted in him getting a light flick on the back of the head. 

“Ow...” He reached up to rub the spot that had been hit as Teresa raised her finger again threatening to do it again. 

“Ok, ok, fine!” Peter said raising his arms in surrender. “I’ll get you a good seat.”

Teresa narrowed her eyebrows and stepped closer waiting for him to continue. 

“And I’ll make sure you sit beside us.” He added mumbling. “Just promise you won’t talk throughout the whole movie and explain the plot, Ned and I are the ones that got you into this series anyways, we know what’s going on.”

“Promise,” Teresa said holing up her right hand, with her left hidden bending her back in a cross. 

“Good.”

The trio continued down the hall in a comforting silence, turning a few corners here and there until finally reaching the main doors that led to the front entrance of the school. They had to push past a couple of groups of seniors who were crowding the door, but that wasn’t a problem for Peter and Ned because Teresa moved up front did all the shoving. At times like this, Peter was very grateful she had joined the wrestling team.  
At first, he had been skeptical about the whole ordeal, thinking she was going to get killed some 200-pound guy in grade 12. Of course, Teresa had always been an active kid, coming home with scrapes and bruises every night, but wrestling was a pretty big step up from that. She hadn’t been bitten by that radioactive spider yet, though it didn’t really make a difference because she held back on the mat now anyways to keep everything fair. But Peter was her big brother, older by 7 minutes, and his job was to protect her. He nearly joined the team himself to keep an eye on her, until she threatened to tell Aunt May about his skipping decathlon that was.  
But now, he had no doubt at all. Teresa was tough, she’d proven that her whole life. And Peter began to notice even more after the first few rounds of their daily outings as the Spider-Twins. She always had his back. 

After getting out the doors Ned and Peter did their secret handshake, which really wasn’t much of a secrecy anymore because Teresa knew the whole thing, and waved goodbye. Ned going down to the right hand of the sidewalk to catch his bus, and the twins walking the opposite direction to go home.

Teresa snickered a bit when her brother turned around and held up the Star Trek “live long and prosper” sign to Ned before he was too far away to see.  
It had been a new addition to their goodbye ritual after they watched one of the movies for the first time a few weeks back. 

“What are you laughing at?” Peter questioned with a slight chuckle. 

“Just you, ya’ dork.” Teresa shoved him playfully. 

“Don’t get so cocky, ya’ geek.” He pushed her back lightly. 

“Hey, I only can be a geek,” Teresa emphasized the can. “But I’m not a geek all the time, unlike you, who never takes the nerd shirt off.” 

“Oh, we’re going there now, are we?” Peter smiled through his attempt to hold a neutral expression. He couldn’t help but crack up a bit. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. What’s going on here? I heard some raised voices. And what was that I saw back there? Some shoving? Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Someone from behind the two said, but they didn’t need to turn around, that voice was recognizable anywhere. Flash Thompson.

God Teresa hated him so much. No, scratch that, hate wasn’t a strong enough word. She despised him.  
She despised the way he talked. The way he acted. How he breathed.  
She despised that he had he held zero respect for anyone but himself. How he’d terrorize other students, including her brother. She was disgusted by his existence. But most of all, she was sickened by the way he treated the girls in the school. Hitting on all the ‘hot chicks’ and spreading rumours about the others. It was nauseating. Not to mention the fact at Flash also seemed to have a thing for Teresa. Continuously following her around the school, never allowing her to have some personal space, wolf whistling whenever she took her sweater or jacket off, calling her his ‘pet names’, the list went on and on. 

“Babe,” Flash said snaking an arm around her back, “Is this man bothering you?” He motioned to Peter. 

From beside her, Teresa could see Peter tensing up and curling his firsts, he was ready to act within a moments notice.  
And as much as she appreciated his protective instincts, Teresa didn’t want this to end in a fistfight. So she held a hand out in front of her either letting him know she could handle this. He looked her in the eye to ensure she wanted to do this herself, to which she nodded, so he backed off the slightest bit, but kept his guard up in case. 

Taking a deep breath, trying to act unfazed by Flash’s actions, Teresa held an emotionless facial expression and sneered back at him making sure her voice didn’t waver. 

“Flash, if you don’t get your fucking hands off of me in the next three seconds, I’m going to dig through your binder, find that failure of a test you got back in chemistry, and shove it so far up your ass it’ll come out your mouth.” 

Peter gazed over at his sister raising a brow in disbelief as to what she actually said, but smiled nonetheless. That was one of the best comebacks he’d ever heard from her, which was saying something since she used them dozens of times a day. 

Flash, however, didn’t take this the way Teresa had hoped. He only chuckled along with his group of friends and held her a bit tighter looking her in the eye. “Ooo, someone’s feisty today.”

And no sooner then the words had left Flash’s mouth, Peter was tackling him to the ground. 

“The fuck, Parker! Get off of me!” He screamed trying to roll Peter to the side as he received a punch to the face. 

“Peter, stop!” Teresa yelled as she grabbed one of his arms to pull him away, but he kept fighting against her grip trying to hit Flash again. 

“Peter!” She pulled his again and this time just enough to let Flash crawl out from underneath him and scramble back to his feet with the help of his friends. 

“What the fuck, Parker! What’s your god damn problem?” He screamed whipping some of the blood from his nose. 

“You’re my fucking problem, Flash!” Peter yelled back getting to his feet but remaining near his sister, this time standing slightly in front of her. “Don’t you ever come near her again, or I swear to god—“

“Peter, stop. Let’s go.” Teresa whispered softly grabbing his hand to lead him away from the situation. 

Reluctantly, he shut his mouth and followed, but only after giving one final glare at the boy who he’d just threatened. 

The two siblings walked in silence making their away further away from school, and closer home. Neither said a word for a good 1 minutes, both unsure of how to start the conversation.

Trying to think of how to word her thoughts together, Teresa finally just gave up and started talking, hoping a sentence would just come to her when she opened her mouth. 

“Peter,” She said quietly, “You can’t keep doing that. Fighting Flash. It’s only what he wants, a reaction, and you're giving it to him.”

“I know, I know.” He mumbled looking at his feet for a second. “It’s just, seeing him go at you like that, I-I had to do something. That look in his eyes, god,” he shook his head.

Teresa stopped walking and held a hand out to stop her brother from moving past her. 

“Pete, I know. I really do, and it’s nothing new, he does that to a lot of people.” She looked down at her feet for a second before meeting his gaze again. “But there are other ways to solve things, you don’t have to keep fighting him. I don’t want you to keep fighting him.”

Peter laughed at this trying to lighten the mood. “Says you, ya’ little beast. Like seriously, have you seen your wrestle? It’s terrifying. You just flip people all over the place and—“

“Peter,” she stopped him, “Not that I’m not grateful for your comment, it’s nice to know you think I’m badass,” she looked up at him with a small smile, “but can you just promise me you won’t fight him anymore? Please?”

He hesitated for a second but nodded his head after.  
“I promise.” He told his sister placing his right hand in front of him but keeping the other behind his back with his fingers crossed. He had to protect his sister, even if that meant lying for the time being. 

“But seriously Tess, are you alright?” He asked looking over at her once they started walking again. 

Teresa bit the inside of her cheek, she knew what he meant. No matter how many years ago it had happened, there was always a part of her that wouldn’t recover from that trauma. From Skip Westcott.  
With Flash getting so close, Peter was concerned. Not only because he was holding onto his sister like that, but also because of a possible relapse. It hadn’t happened in a while, but he was always worried. Seeing his sister fall to pieces broke his heart.  
Of course, Teresa was better now, after being in therapy for five years. The flashbacks and nightmares weren’t as bad, they were less frequent at least. And with the help from Tony’s tech, some of her memories from the trauma were faded, others even blurred out completely. But nothing ever truly disappeared. There would always be something, if only a fragment of a piece, that would be behind. 

“Umm, ya.” Teresa looked up at Peter and took his hand. “I’m fine. I have you.” 

“I’ll always be here.” He assured his sister giving her hand a squeeze. 

<><><><><><><><><><>

By 4:00 pm, they’d gotten to the lobby of their building and were now walking the stair up to their apartment. 

“They really need to install an elevator in this place,” Peter said to his sister a bit out of breath after reaching the top step on their floor. 

“That sure would be nice. Especially for bringing up groceries, and all these textbooks.” She added holding up her book bag up and accidentally knocking it on the edge of a step.

“Happy said he’d pick us up a 5:00 to take us to the tower, right?” Peter asked. 

“Ya, we only have an hour to get ready for the party, so don’t hog the bathroom, Cinderella!” 

“Hey! You take twice as long as I do!” He turned around to yell back. 

“That is so not true.” 

“Is too.” 

“Is not.” 

“Is too.” 

“Is not.” 

“Is too!” 

“Ok, fine! I take more time,” Teresa finally admitted to end the argument. “But only because I’m a girl.”

“What does that have to do with it?” Peter questioned his voice cracking at the end it was getting so high pitched. 

“I don’t know, just unlock the door ya’ dummy.” She shook her head. 

Rolling his eyes, her brother unzipped the side pocket of his backpack, which just so happened to be the fourth one of the month, and got the key out. He jammed into the door, maybe a bit more forcefully than needed, and twisted. But the was no click, the door was already open. 

Both Peter and Teresa looked at each other confused. They were supposed to be the first ones home tonight, May had a late shift tonight and Peter was sure he locked the door after he left this morning. He remembered doing so because he had to pick the key up off the floor after Teresa scared the shit out of him and hurled it across the hall nearly taking her eye out in the process. 

“You think May’s schedule got changed?” He asked. 

Teresa only shrugged and pushed the door open to take a step inside. 

The next few seconds went by in a flash. Before either of the twins had a chance to call for their aunt, they were both hit from behind at the door’s entrance, falling onto the ground in a heap. They both struggled to get back up into a standing position only to be knocked down again by a sharp tingling pain that wove up their bodies like electricity making its way through a circuit. 

On the ground, Peter and Teresa started riffling in agony, their limbs spamming in whichever direction their bodies took them. They had no control over anything. It was like their bodies weren’t able to comprehend what their minds were straining to do. 

Everything hurt, from head to toe. Their entire bodies had seized up and their muscles burning some intense amount of pain.  
Trying to fight against the urge to just pass out and let the torment to be over, Teresa managed to crack open her eyes into a slight squint.  
Before her, stood a couple of men dressed in dark combat suits holding what seemed to be tasers, but she had no time to see for sure, because moments later, she could hold it together any longer. Her eyes shut, encasing her in a pit of darkness. Just like a blackout. 

<><><><><><><><><><>

Date: November 19, 2017  
Time: 5:22 PM  
Location: The Avengers Tower

“Tony, when will Peter and Teresa be getting here? Nat wants to know if there’s enough time to—“  
“Not now Pep!” He answered continuing to frantically make his way across the room balancing a tray of food in one hand, and a stack of cups filled with fruit punch in the other. 

After nearly running into several people causing food to poor off of the platter without his notice, Tony ended up setting down a bear empty tray on the side table. 

Pepper rolled her eyes, attempting to hide a small smirk, and followed the trail of crumbs Tony had left on the ground to try and talk with him again. 

“Oh come on.” She heard him mutter to himself before bending down and crawling across the floor on his hands and knees to pick up all the scraps he had dropped. 

“Tony.” She said sternly, however, he only continued to scramble around in his suit and tie picking up food.  
“Tony.” She said again placing her hands on her hips much like what a mother would do when arguing with a toddler.  
But still, with no response other than the sound of Tony ranting on about how clumsy he was, Pepper decided to take things into her own hands. 

She walked closer to his outstretched hand and placed the tip of her shoe on the piece of cheese he was about to pick up and also managing to nick the tip of his finger. 

Tony quickly retracted his hand to rub the injury.

“Ow. Pep, that hurt.”

“Tony I haven’t even changed into my heels yet, I only hit your hand with my flats. That cannot possibly hurt.” 

Getting back onto his feet, Tony stood up in front of Pepper.  
“Says the person that has a pain tolerance of zero! Like seriously, last week when you cut your head on that door and were bleeding all over the place, you didn’t even cry!”

“Tony.”

“You didn’t even seem to be bothered when you had to get stitches! How is that possible?”

“Tony, stop.”

“Think about it Pep, after that Mandarin fiasco that happened a while back, you might still have superpowers even tho—“ he was cut off by a figure that was pressed against his lip. 

“Tony, you need to take a breath. You're winding yourself up.” She said softly moving her hand to cup his face. 

“I know these kids mean a lot to you and that you want this night to be perfect for them, but what you have to realize, is that you’ve already given those two everything. You gave them the world, Tony. You are their world, and there is no way that some platter of cheese is going to change that.”

Tony took a breath and cracked a smile knowing she was right.  
“Thanks, hon, I needed that,” he said raising his hand to Pepper’s and moving it down the side of his cheek to his lips.  
As Tony kissed her fingers lightly, Pepper leaned in closer to his and pressed her lips to his.

“What would I do without you?” He mumbled. 

“Probably lose your social security number.” 

Lightly chuckling, Tony pulled his lips away from Pepper’s but still held onto her hands letting them sway from side to side with his own. 

“Do you even know what it is?” He asked raising an eyebrow. 

“I know it off by heart.”

“Sorry to interrupt this lovely moment,” Natasha said, “But I just got a call from Happy saying that Peter and Teresa aren’t home.”

Tony frowned at this. “Are you sure?”

“Happy was waiting in the car for a while and they didn’t come out, so he went up to their apartment but no one was home.” 

“Do you think they might have taken a bus or a cab?” Pepper asked. 

“No, no, I told them Happy would pick them up. This doesn’t make sense.” He shook his head starting to panic. 

“Tony,” Peter said placing a hand on his shoulder trying to reassure him. “I’m sure they’re fine. They probably just forgot.” 

“No, it’s not like that. They wouldn’t forget!” 

“Kids forget things all the time, they have a lot going on. Especially these two. Between school and training, they don’t get much free time.” 

Maybe Pepper was right, Peter and Teresa did have quite a bit going on at the moment. With wrestling season at its peak and decathlon every other day, both of them were probably stressing out.  
Oh god, maybe he should have waited for another weekend to have the party. Was this a bad time for them to come to a party? They didn’t seem all that anxious the last Tony saw them. But then again teenager always tries to hide their emotions. Was this what they were doing, hiding how stressed they were? Why didn’t they want to talk to him about it? Did they not trust him? Did he say something wrong?  
Tony’s mind was about to explode. Fortunately, Jarvis interrupted his thoughts and brought his attention back to the present. 

“Sorry to interrupt Sir, but I've received a call from Nick Fury requesting your presence.” 

“What? Oh um, ya, ok. Put him on screen.”

“Right away, Sir.”

The TV in front of the couch turned on and Nick Fury’s visual popped up. All the Avengers gathered around the room to see what was going on. 

“Good to see you all are together,” Fury started off. “Now, I need all of you to listen to me very carefully.”

The concern in the Director's voice caught everyone off guard. None of them, even Clint and Natasha who’d been his agent’s for nearly a decade had every heard his sound so troubled.

“What’s going on?” Steve asked from his seat beside Bucky and Wanda. 

“Zemo escaped from SHIELD’s custody today. He also blacked out our whole system while doing so, we’ve been offline for the past half hour. Hill’s only just gotten the cell line back up.  
The whole compound is in shutdown now. No one comes in and no one goes out other than the teams I’ve sent.”

“Wait, wait, hold on a sec. Back up.” Tony spoke gesturing his arms in all direction. “You said Zemo escaped?” 

“He has.” Fury confirmed. 

“But how? He— he would have needed help from the outside.” 

“We believe he did have help, Dr. Banner. Now I need to know, are Teresa and Peter with you?”

“What— oh um no, Happy left about 45 minutes ago to pick them up, but they weren't home… Wait, what do the kids have to do with this?” Tony asked. 

“The last things Zemo said to interrogators today before escaping, was that he wanted revenge and that we was going to use the twins to do it.”


	3. Never Back Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somehow my chapters keep getting longer and longer😂😂  
> Hope you enjoy the read!  
> ❤️💛❤️💛  
> x3000

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey y’all! I’m alive, don’t worry. And yes, I know I haven’t updated for nearly 2 months, and I’m so sososososo sorry. Hopefully I’ll be getting chapters up more quickly now since I don’t have any more exams. (However I do have a full time summer job :l )  
> Enjoy this chapter and plz leave comments!!  
> **I always love hearing what the readers are thinking and how I’m doing;)  
> (Sorry if there are any spelling mistakes, I typed this on my phone.) 
> 
> Tw:  
> -Needles  
> -Slight abuse  
> -Grabbing  
> -Beginning of a panic attack  
> -Kidnapping  
> -Some strong language  
> (If I missed anything just let me know:))

Date: November 20, 2017  
Time: 12:26 AM  
Location: Unknown

The first thing she noticed was how cold it was. Every one of the particles in her body seemed to be shivering from the dense air that was encasing them. It felt as though she had just been dunked into a bucket of ice and left outside to freeze to death. 

Simply thinking about the cold sent a shiver through Teresa’s entire body, the tremble starting at her toes and making its way to the top of her spine causing her to shake slightly in discomfort.  
It was similar to the feeling you had when someone was supposedly ‘walking over your grave’. Only this time, Teresa felt it the experience on a whole new level. It wasn’t just a physical notion, but rather a mental one too. 

Trying to focus on anything but her freezing body, she came to notice the pain along her arms. 

They had been suspended above her head with chains clipped around her wrists thereby forcing them to support the weight of her body as her feet just barley skimmed the concrete below. 

Cuts had already begun to form around the upper parts of her wrists near her palm from the sharp metal digging into them. Light bruising coloured the irritated skin underneath a dark shade of purple. 

Teresa tried adjusting her position to find any kind of relief, but only succeeded in sending more sparks of pain up her arms. 

Then there was also the strain on her shoulders, which was even worse. A burning sensation that started around her shoulder blades travelled down her torso touching every cell in her body threatening to rip them apart. Someone might has well have plunged a couple dozen needles into her skin, it wouldn’t have hurt any less. 

“Tess?” A voice chirped, though it sounded distant and fuzzy. Like she was listening to someone talk while underwater.  
“Tessa, oh my god, you’re finally awake!” The voice called out I again. It sounded familiar. 

“Tess, can you hear me?”

Raising her head to see where the echoing speech was coming from, Teresa saw her brother, or at least she thought it was her brother, it was hard to tell through her blurred eyes, hung up in a similar position to her a few meters away. 

“Pete?” She questioned, her voice rough and scratchy. 

“Ya, ya, it’s me. Look, we gotta get outta here. Are any of your chains loose?” 

Teresa was having trouble comprehending him. His sentences were all broken up and slurred to her ears. Half of what he said didn’t even sound like english. “Wha’?” 

“The chains, Tess! Pull on the chains! Come on!”

She only gazed to the side momentarily before looking back at him with her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. 

“Peter?” Teresa asked again.

“Yes! Yes, it’s me! Now just listen; pull on the chains holding you up, see if they loosen at all.” When his sister didn’t respond he grew more concerned so he called out again. “Tess, can you hear me?” 

“Oh, I wouldn’t assume very well,” another voice spoke. Their accent was thick, perhaps German. Or many Russian?

Trying to turn his head enough to see behind him where he thought the voice had come from, Peter noticed a figure approaching. Whoever it was, they didn’t seem to be overly tall nor broad, which was what he had expected from a kidnapped. Maybe he had just been watching too many movies though....

The silhouette came closer revealing a middle aged man, perhaps in his late 30’s or early 40’s. His hair appeared to be a dark brown in the current lighting but was probably lighter given different circumstances. Maybe even aomewhat like his own hair, Peter thought, just without the curls. 

Almond shaped eyes rested above the persons nose, his face cleanly shaven as well. He looked sophisticated, like your typical business man, while also reminding Peter of a rats face, sharp and pointed. 

As the rat man continued making his way closer to the twins, Peter got get a better look at the man. He seemed a little taller then he had initially thought. Around Tony’s height, maybe an inch or two shorter. But definitely nothing compared to Thor. This man resembled an ant compared to the God of Thunder. Slim shoulders, thin core, and no muscle as far as Peter noticed. Though he walked with confidence. His head held high with his arms crossed behind his back. It was hard to tell what the man was thinking, his face was neutral. Not a single facial cue to administer an emotion rested within his soul. 

“You see,” the man continued on from his last sentence, “We had to sedate your sister with a little extra.... Hmmmm, what should I call it? Pizazz, maybe?” He grinned menacingly, the first sign of emotion he had yet to display. “It really was quite a surprise when she woke up on the ride here. Put up a bit of a fight too.” 

Peter looked over to Teresa at this comment and for the first time noticed the bit of dried blood dripping down her chin from a gash in her lip. It looked like she had received a pretty hard hit. Whatever struggle she put up for whoever took them, obviously pissed them off, a lot. 

“I thought the dosage we gave the two of you would be enough to keep you out for at least 5 hours. However, it appears as though I was wrong.”

Ok, Peter thought, his guy was fine with admitting his failures. Therefore he most likely won’t be irritated easily. What a shame. Peter and Teresa were great at annoying the crap out of people if they gave it enough thought. 

“An extra 0.10mg sure put her under though.” The man let out a chuckle curling his lips into a grin. 

“Man, your impression of Heath Ledger as The Joker, sucks. Whoever taught you how to do impression has no idea what they’re doing, so I’d suggest switching acting schools. Then you might actually have a chance if becoming descent.” 

Their captor suddenly stopped walking in the direction he was headed and pivoted to make his way to Peter. Once he was standing only an inch or two away from Peter’s face, so close that Peter could feel the man’s breath upon his skin, did he let his grin fall.  
After standing still for a few seconds, perhaps trying to intimate Peter, did he begin to speak. His voice remains calm, but was cold and held a touch of what Peter would call threatening. It just held that tone of dangerousness. 

“Your mouth is going to run you into problems very soon if you don’t learn to respect your elders.” 

“Really you’re so old that you consider yourself an elder? Cause at first I thought you were in your 40’s. But know that you say that, I’m beginning to second guess my judgment. Guess all those wrinkles on your face and baggy eyes weren’t noticeable from far awa—“ he was cut off when a hand reached out and touched his cheek, running down to his chin. It sent a small shiver through his nervous system and up the length of his spine. To begin with, Peter really wasn’t expecting the hand to be that damn cold, or for it to touch him at all, but secondly, he was also freaked out by the contact of the man skin to his face. No one had touched him that since Skip was in his life. Even Tessa and May made sure to avoid sudden contact like that. 

Taking some deep breaths, Peter managed to gather control of his breathing, remembering that this wasn’t Skip. He wasn’t there anymore. Although there was some sadistic excuse of a man laying his hands on him, at least it wasn’t Skip. Those days were done and over with. They were long in the past. 

The man could see how his touch bothered Peter and grinned again. “I’ll let that be your final warning, Peter. Choose your words carefully.”  
The way his name rolled off of the man’s lips left bad taste in Peter’s mouth. The way it sounded was just..... it wasn’t right. 

“Now, lets go wake up your sister, shall we?” He patted Peter on the back and made his way over to Teresa. 

Teresa herself had been somewhat aware as to what was going on. The sounds of voices would drift in and out her ears, clear at times while foggy during others. Her eyelids felt heavy and it was a struggle to keep them open, however she did manage to take notice of the man talking with Peter, and the fact that he looked like some giant ass rat.

The man continued to make his way towards her, but ended up stopping short at a table sitting a foot or two away.

Teresa hadn’t previously taken notice to the table, maybe because it was covered with a dark cloth that blended into the eeriness of the room. 

The fabric of the cloth was thick, hiding whatever lay underneath it a mystery and forcing the two siblings to only image the worst. 

Rat man lifted up a corner or the cloth to take out a needle along with a bottle of clear liquid. As he let the piece of cloth fall back down in place, Teresa saw a quick glimpse of a shinny object that resembled the appearance of a scalpel, only its blade was longer then average and a bit thicker as well.  
Before her brain could so much as begin to process the meaning behind the knife and if what horrors it held, her eyes locked on the needle the was now being filled. The tip of it was small, only an inch or two long and about the width of a piece or pencil led, nothing too frightening, for s needle that was. 

Once the liquid filled the tube to the rim, the bottle was set down and the tip flicked a few times. 

“Don’t worry darling, this won’t hurt too much.” The man whispered softly in her ear, his lips lingering there a second after the words felt his mouth. 

Seconds later Teresa felt a pinch in her neck and a slight burning sensation as the fluid travelled through her veins.

The doziness she had been experiencing only seconds earlier disappeared with a blink of an eye. Her body immediately waking up out of its slumber to activate all her senses. 

Her vision became clear, her ears popping similarly to how they did on the plane to Germany, allowing sound to now get through properly, and her mind became more alert. It was like she had just been lifted out of the fog. 

Once her eyes properly adjusted to the light of the room, she began to look at her surroundings.  
It was dark, close to black in the corners, but also lighter than what her pupils had previously shown. Before hand it was difficult to make out anything other then the body that was an arm lengths distance away. 

Both the walls and floor of the basement, cellar, or wherever they were was made of solid concrete. It lined the entirety of the room.  
A few light bulbs were imbedded in the ceiling providing the only source of light as there were no windows nor a glass in the door.  
Then there was also Peter who was still hanging not far from her. 

“It’s nice of you to finally join us, Teresa,” the man before her said in a thick accent she was able to now recognize from being able to actually hear properly. 

“Cut the shit Ass Clown, who are you and what do you want?” She hissed without filtering the word through her head. 

“Hmmmm, seems you and your brother are similar when it comes to being disrespectful.” 

“Ok, hold on a second,” Teresa started again. “What’s disrespectful, is you kidnapping, chaining up, and drugging the fucking hell out of two teenagers. Like what the fuck is your problem?” 

Ignoring the first part of her comment, the man they would soon find out to be Helmut Zemo, addressed the question at hand. 

“My problem, is the Avengers,” he spoke in a low tone. 

“Ya, well, if you haven’t noticed, we’re not the Avengers, we’re just two kids from Queens. Like, honestly man, I think you should get your eyes checked,” Teresa commented.

“You really think I don’t who you are? That I don’t know what you are?” The man said squinting his eyes slightly staring directly at Teresa. Though when Peter started to speak he then turned his attention to the other direction. 

“I mean, ya, you look pretty similar to some clueless stoner in New York to me.” 

Without answering, or even showing as though he actually took notice to what Peter had just said, the man started towards to him. 

“Watch your words more carefully next time you speak,” His voice mocked as he continued towards the teenager taking a gun out from a shoulder strap he had hidden underneath his jacket. 

Knowing exactly what was about to happen Teresa screamed in protest, but it didn’t seem the faze the man. He simply raised the barrel to eye level and shot Peter in the shoulder while she continued to call out, her lips trembling in fear. 

Holding in a squeal, Peter gasped in pain. Blood started to ooz out of the wound. It hurt like nothing he had ever experienced before. Getting flung into that hanger at the airport by Ant Man wasn’t even comparable to this. 

Peter felt as if every cell in his shoulder were going to blow apart. He swore he could feel each individual molecule getting pulled apart from its neighbouring ones only to be flung around his body. And that when the tears threatened to fall. But Peter refused to let that happen. He wasn’t going to cry, he would not cry, he simply wouldn’t. He couldn’t, for his sake, and his sisters. Tears would only make this more difficult to get through. 

“What is that, a pellet gun?” He tried laughing out with a small smile, attempting to stand strong, to never back down. 

“From the looks of the damage its done and your painstaking reaction, I would say no” the man responded while putting the gun back in its holster.

Teresa was still staring wide eyed at her brother in shock and anguish. Seeing him in pain was just about her worst nightmare. And was clearly evident the pain he was going through was horrible. His speech and sly comments may not have shown it, but his eyes did. She was his sister. She’d been living with his for 16 years. She knew when something was wrong, and right now, everything was wrong. 

“Nope, I’m pretty sure that was a pellet gun! There’s not even much damage done, it’ll clear up in no time!” 

God, Mr. Stark was so truly right when he noted Peter for his bravery. His characteristics were more or less a carbon copy of Steve Rogers, along with Stark brains. Teresa couldn’t help but to crack a sad smile at her brother. 

“But will it, Spiderman? Will it actually heel?” Rat Man asked tilting his head to the side as if to mock Peter. 

And at that moment, the twins came to realize just how severe the situation was.  
How was it that anyone other then the Avengers knew of their powers? 

<><><><><><><><><><>

Date: November 20, 2017  
Time: 3:52 AM  
Location: Avengers Towers 

“Tony,” Nat said softly, “It’s almost 4:00 a clock in the morning, why don’t you try to get some rest?” 

“Not until I find them.” Was the only response she got as he continued to type furiously on the keyboard. 

Nat sighed and took a deep breath, this was going to be difficult. Tony was more or less a father to those kids, and trying to talk him into taking a break from searching for them when they were in danger, wasn’t particularly set up to be an easy task. It might even be down right impossible. But Natasha knows all too well that Tony’s health is just as important as the twins, he needs to be rested enough that he’ll actually be able to work to track them down. It’s happened before where a lack of sleep sends Tony into a downwards spiral where staring at a blank scene becomes a popular routine. And that certainly wasn’t going to help, Peter, Teresa, himself, or the team. 

“Tony, I know you want to help the kids, I do just as much as you, but I think we both know that everyone has to take a break at some point. And FRIDAY’s scanning sights within a 2,000 mile radius, she’ll let us know when she finds something.”

“Breaking news for you Nat, I’m not everyone,” he snorted back about her first comment without the intention of being rude, he was just stressed as fuck right now. Even more concerned then he was when he was trapped in the cave all those years ago. 

Reaching for a cup to his left, Tony took a sip of whatever was inside, scrunching up his nose and eyebrows into a tight knot after swallowing allowing the liquid to travel down his throat. 

“Tony, what are you drinking?”

“Fertilizer.”

Natasha rolled her eyes and picked up the cup to see what was inside, cold coffee that smelt like booze.  
Setting it back down on the table with a light clang, the ex assassin peered down at the billionaire. 

“Are you seriously mixing Red Bull with expresso again?” 

“I’ll let you answer that yourself.” 

“Tony,” she said warningly.

“No, no no no no no,” he turned around in his chair to face the redhead waving a pen around as he spoke. “Do not use that tone on me. You’re the one that should already know everything about everyone and not have to ask questions” he laughed out the last part, but not in a sarcastic way, but more so as one would do when overreacting or worrying. “Like, I hate to break it to you Nat, but you are a full time agent for S.H.I.E.L.D. Isn’t stuff like this your job, memorizing people’s habits?”

Natasha knew what Tony was alluding to. It was the fact that since she was an agent, that she should be able to figure out where Teresa and Peter were. But it wasn’t that easy. If she had any idea as to where the twins were, that’s where she’d be right now. 

It was only short of 12 hours since the youngest members of their team had been captured, but that didn’t mean that all hell was breaking loose at the tower. Out of everyone, Natasha was the one who would be expected to be able to keep her cool the most efficiently. And that did appear to be the case, because for so long as a child she was taught to never show her emotions, and that was exactly was she was doing at that very moment. She was suffering just as much as Tony, Steve, Clint, May, and everyone else was, only she was just further away from showing it. 

For Natasha, Peter and Teresa were like of her own kids. There was just this strong connection she felt with both of teenagers to protect them from harm. And since she had just failed that mission, there was obviously the feeling of guilt, fear and worry washing over her. It just so happens to be more natural for the assassin to hold all of those emotions inside. 

“Well I hate to brake it to you Tony, but identifying what people put in their coffee isn’t generally what I do for a living,” she said sternly holding the expression of a brick wall. 

“Then what is it? That you do exactly?” Tony clarified his last sentence while picking up his mug again. 

“Tony. Put. The mug. Down.” That concoction he made certainly wasn’t going to be of aid at the moment. 

But instead of listening, the Tony just took a sip and snarked back, “I’m sorry, since when are you my mother?” 

Natasha sighed again, this was so much more difficult then she thought it would be, and she did set her standard fairly high to begin with.  
Tony was just at that breaking point right now. To start off with, he hadn’t slept in over 48 hours, since he was up all the night before like he currently was, only he was just doing work in the shop instead of looking for some kidnapped and most likely traumatized kids. Secondly, however many cups of boozed up coffee he had wasn’t helping. To add to that, at the rate he was pulling out his hair he’d most likely go bald with tin the next week or so, and the fact that we had already been driving himself mad for nearly 10 hours from doing non-stop searches and staring at a screen, wasn’t helping his mental health in any way. 

“Tony, look at me.” She lowered be voice again. “I know how you feel right now, I see myself just as much as Teresa and Peter’s mother as you do their father. I know this sucks. That you’re scared right now, that your worrying constantly for them, thinking over every possible scenario that could go wrong, of the worst possible outcomes of the situation, but sometimes just taking a breath, a small break can make a difference. Sometimes that breath is all we need to get back on track.” 

Tony looked down at his hands at Natasha’s words. He was hiding his face to avoid eye contact with her as a few tears starting to stream down his face. “I’m—, I’m just—,” he paused for a moment to capture his thoughts. “What if we can’t find them? What if we don’t get them back, and never see them again? Or what if we do find them but they don’t even remember us, or they end up being in a coma for the rest of—“ he stopped taking when Natasha took over the turn to talk, trying to drown out his worry. 

“They’re tough kids, they’ll be ok. And they have each other. They’re not alone.” She out a hand on Tony’s shoulder as to comfort him. He wasn’t alone either, and neither was she. 

“Ya, but what if—“

“Tony, we will find them. Have hope.” 

<><><><><><><><><><>

Date: November 20, 2017  
Time: 10:15 AM  
Location: Unknown 

The twins had just learned who their captor was, Helmut Zemo, the man who had tried to rip the Avengers apart not even a year ago. All the heartache, blood and gore he had caused already put him fairly high up on both Tony and the Avengers list of enemies. But now kidnapping Peter and Teresa? Well, that probably bumped his spot up to number one. 

The other thing, was that Zemo wasn’t alone. He had help, and a lot of it.  
It just so happened that he had teamed up with a group of Hydra agents led by Rollins and Rumlow, who was somehow still alive. 

“Alright then,” Zemo announces from behind the twins. “Lets get this parade of fun started, how does that sound?” His words were dripping in harsh sarcasm. 

“Well I do love parades.”

“And fun!” Teresa added onto her brother’s comment just as sarcastically as their captor has spoken. If he was going to give them an attitude, they weren’t going to shy away from doing to same right back. 

Neither Teresa nor Peter had stopped yacking it up with Zemo or the other agents that had come in the past few hours. Even after Peter’s first punishment, they didn’t back down. The motive of this situation was to make the best of it, and if they could do that by annoying the hell out of everyone around them, they sure weren’t going to stop any time soon. Besides, watching the Hydra agents grumble around them in frustration because Zemo wouldn’t let anyone lay a hand on them without permission truly was quite entertaining. 

Walking up in front of the chained siblings, Zemo set up a camera facing their direction as Rollins made his was over to Peter and Rumlow to Teresa who wrapped his hands around her waist to hold her in place. Though it was uncomfortable, and brought back some unwanted memories, Teresa refused to struggle against his grip. Instead, she focused on flushing her mind of the thought that his hands were even near her. 

One breath in, one breath out.  
One breath in, one breath out.  
One breath in, one breath out.  
In through the nose, out through the mouth.  
She continued on with the circuit repeating the words in her head. 

Skip was long ago, this isn’t him and nothing bad is going to happen. You’ll be ok, you are ok. Just breath. Just breath. 

“Now then,” Zemo began seeing as everything was set up and ready to go. “Lets give the Avengers a little show.”

“Y’know, I’m pretty they would prefer to see Friends or Cheers over this. But hey man, your choice,” Peter commented as if just keeping up a normal conversation. 

At a result of his choice in words, Rollins grabbed a fist full of his hair an yanking his head back jarring his neck. 

“Ummm, ow,” Peter said giving the allusion that he was unfazed bt the agents actions even thought it actually did hurt.  
But in the end, he was really more annoyed then in pain. Now his neck was going to be be sore, that son of a bitch. 

By the time he looked back up at Zemo, a bright green light was flashing on the camera letting him know it was already rolling.

“Smile for the Avengers you two.” 

Both Teresa and Peter waved at the camera the best they could with their wrists in chuckles, and smiled saying a chorus of ‘hello’’s as if nothing was wrong at all.  
If it weren’t for their current situation everyone on the other side of the video feed would have probably been smiling right back at them. But currently, there were probably dark expression filled with hate, anger or fear, maybe even a mix of all three. 

“Well now that I’ve caught your attention, I’ll make this brief,” Zemo began.  
“As you all know, I had a mission, to rip the Avengers apart. To watch you all dive at each others throats and tear each other apart. Though, seeing as that failed, I have, I guess you could say, transitioned my tactics.  
I wanted to cause you all as much pain and suffering as possible, and now, I’ve simply found a new method of doing that,” when he finished his sentence he motioned to Teresa and Peter who were still hanging from the ceiling from their wrists. Even with fake smiles plastered upon their faces, it was clear that fear was building up inside them both.  
They were kids for gods sake, they weren’t trained for this, they weren’t agents, and they sure as hell didn’t deserve this. No one deserved this. 

“You should all be aware now, that there is no sense in looking for your ‘new recruits’,” he turned back to the camera. “You will never find these two again, not unless Hydra or I want them to be found, or we decide to dispose of their bodies on the steps to your building when we’re finished with them.  
The only sights you’ll see from today onward, are going to be filled with anguish, pain and guilt,” Zemo continued his rank. “And each and every one of you will have to live with the fact that you weren’t able to save those who you love most, that these two kids are suffering because your inability to find them, because you failed them.” 

At this moment, Teresa started to laugh, or more so chuckle. It was lighthearted, yet not forced. But that didn’t matter, what did was the fact that she was truly was smiling her way through this situation.

Hearing the laughter, Zemo turned around and tilted his head towards her in confusion though he didn’t really show it all that much. He mostly revealed himself as intrigued, but Teresa knew he was questioning her. She could read anyone like an open book. 

“Do you find something abut this amusing?” He asked her. 

“Ya,” she said grinning. “I guess you could say that.” 

Teresa could feel Rumlow tightening his grip around her waist.  
Now her breathing was started to get a bit out of line. 

“Do enlighten me then,” Zemo said calmly.

“I find it hilarious that you think you’re so smart when in reality you’re a dumbass fuck.” Teresa’s words came out a little more rough then she had hoped for, but then again, she was focusing a lot of her energy on clearing her mind of the haunting thoughts that threatening to break her. Now was not the time to have a relapse. 

“Care to elaborate on that?” Zemo asked in a low voice taking a step closer towards her. 

“Well,” Teresa quickly closed her eyes for a second while taking a deep breath in before letting it out in a slow and controlled fashion, just as she had been taught. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed or not,” she began, her breath still ragged and heavy from her anxious state. “But the Avengers are seeing this right now. You are allowing them to see what your doing to us. And I—” she stopped to take a breath again, “I have no doubt that they are hunting you down right now.”

Rumlow squeezed a bit harder on Teresa’s hips at this, knowing it was bothering her. There was a noticeable increase in pressure and she had to fight against the will the squirm away. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction he was looking for. 

“A—and,” Teresa kept on, “they will find you. You may think they won’t, but they will. They will,” she repeated the last part again but more quietly, as if only meaning to say it to herself. 

“And I’m gonna tell you right now, that I’m praying to god that I’m not at the scene where they actually kill you, cause it’s gonna be one hell of an ugly sight.” 

As soon as those word left Teresa’s lips, things started to go downhill, but the twins were never going to back down. Not yet at least.


	4. Heart of Courage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, um... it’s been five months. Wow.  
> So apparently I suck at updating. That’s pretty obvious. Oops🙊  
> But now that I’ve had Christmas break to get a handle on things, things being my life, I sincerely hope to update more often. 
> 
> Since I also have another fic going at the same time, I’ll be alternating between the two, plus a few one shots I have planned;) 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter, it’s probably been my favourite to write as of yet. 
> 
> TW:
> 
> \- Torture  
> \- Whipping  
> \- Blood  
> \- Stabbing  
> \- Gun shot wound  
> \- Some non consensual touching (nothing super inappropriate, it’s only on the back, chest, cheek and head.) 
> 
> Let me know if there’s anything you’d like me to add and I’ll be happy to!  
> As always, please leave comments and kudos, it’s very much appreciated!❤️❤️

Date: November 20, 2017  
Time: 10:15 AM  
Location: Avengers Tower 

The echoing sound of skin meeting skin bounced off the walls of the enclosed room loud enough to be heard through the video feed. 

Tony’s hands immediately balled into fists at his sides. He thought he was about to loose it, about to scream in frustration and rip his already greying hair from his scalp. 

He was ready to fight to the death using his bare hands. Blood, dust, and pain was all he wanted for that man. And if only he could transport himself through the screen that was propped up in front of him, then he could take those hands away from his daughter. He could hold her in his arms and protect her. He could keep her safe like he was supposed to. 

A small whimper brought his focus back to the screen and out of his trans.  
He watched as Teresa squeezed her eyes shut trying to dull the pain that was searing across her face. A red handprint lined with white edges still marked the exact spot the hit was delivered. The raw skin underneath the crimson colouring was already turning shades of black and blue. The image was so clear, that Tony swore he could see the bruise being ti slowly spread outwards, painting a larger portion of her cheek as every second passed. 

<><><><><><><><><><>

“Hey buddy,” Peter called out trying to capture Zemo’s attention and draw him away from his sister. 

“I don’t know what kind of world you’re living in, but in this one, it’s considered to be abusive to slap a woman, or anyone for that matter.”

In response to Peter’s sappy comment, the man hesitantly turned around, his eyes narrowing slightly. 

Taking his hands and wrapping them around the small of his back to keep them out of sight, Zemo took a few menacingly slow steps towards Peter. It was like he was trying to draw all the fear he could from the boy, waiting for him to crack before he finally decided to pounce. It seemed as if he wanted to make Peter squirm as he waited to make the perfect attack, sharp, clean, and unexpected. 

Peter felt as though he was a helpless animal, trapped in a bushel of wire being stocked by a predator. All he could do as the prey, was hold his breath and watch all the images of a gruesome death flash before his eyes. Part of him was wishing for it to just happen and be over with. 

Zemo stopped a few shy steps from Peter’s dangling body and tilted his head to the side as he pursed his lips. “Do you really think, that I care?” He started, his voice harsh and dripping with dominance. “You think that I actually give a damn about society or the twisted, feebleminded souls it holds?” 

“I mean, you should, considering you’re one of the twisted and feebleminded souls that lives in it.”

Peter knew he shouldn’t have said anything. He knew he was only making the situation worse, that he simply stirring himself more pain, but the words just slipped out. 

<><><><><><><><><><>

“Damn kids can’t keep their mouths shut,” Clint whispered to himself from his seat on the couch as he watched the video. 

He was hit especially hard by the news of Peter and Teresa’s kidnapping. After all, he had kids of his own, and even thinking about having to watch them endure a situation like this sent his head swaying. Hell, last time Lila fell off her bike and skinned her knees he felt a pit lodge it’s way into his stomach, he didn’t like seeing the people he loved get hurt. And Clint loved the twins, he loved like they were his own. He was their fatherly figure, along with Tony of course. 

So it was only natural for him to feel the urge to vomit as he watched some fucked up psycho maniac terrorize them.  
He found himself having to constantly swallow back down the bile that rose up his esophagus threatening to spill out his parted lips. The contents of his stomach continued to twist and turn upon his minds inability to filter out the horrific emotions bottling up inside him. 

Out of all of them, of all the Avengers, why did it have to be Peter and Tess? They did nothing to deserve this, absolutely nothing. 

Any of the hero’s standing in that room sure as hell wouldn’t hesitate, even for a split second, to trade places with the two teenagers if they were given the chance. 

Any one of them would give up anything and everything they ever had to save Peter and Teresa. They were family, and family fought for each other, they protected each other. And this family, felt as though they failed. 

While they were stuck on the safe side of screen, the side where all they could do was watch in discomfort, Peter and Tess were being tortured. 

The Avengers felt like nothing but bystanders. 

<><><><><><><><><><>

Teresa nor Peter had a chance to digest Zemo’s words before he pulled a knife from his belt, the blade a good four inches in length, and plunged it into the exact spot where the bullet had previously buried itself in Peter’s shoulder. 

A hoarse scream pierced Teresa’s ears, the cracking in the voice drawing tears from her eyes. The vibrations of the wail shook her skull causing her ears to start ringing as her brother’s cry went on and on. She didn’t even know when it had actually ended because her mind kept playing the tune over and over again like a broken record.  
It was torturous to have to watch, to listen, to her brother suffer like this. It was worse than having the hits delivered to her own face. So, so much worse. 

Zemo smirked at Peter spasmed in waves of pain. A sadistic look in his eyes lingered over his form, twinkling in the light as if the scene was the happiness thing he’d ever laid eyes upon. 

“I told you,” he whispered in a low tone and reached one hand out to cup Peter’s face, the other wrapping around the handle of the knife that was still sticking out of his arm. “You will learn to watch your words more carefully.” He suddenly twisted the blade causing another screech to emit from his lips. 

Peter could feel his tendons and muscles being ripped apart by the knife. They were getting shred into small and smaller bits, screaming in pure agony. 

When the weapon was finally pulled out, no relief followed, only a bruising sensation that pounded down his arm all the way to the tips of his fingers. 

Blood began pouring around the fabric of his shirt again, soaking it to the brim. He may as well have submerged himself in a bucket of the crimson colouring, it would have had the exact same effect on his appearance. 

“Now,” Zemo said wiping off the blade on his shirt and tucking it back it it’s holster, “Let’s get to the real fun, shall we?” 

He walked to the corner of the room and grabbed something that resembled a long, black stick. One end was rather wide, the other, skinny with small bristles pocking out the sides. It was a whip. 

He patted the weapon in hand, teasing the two teens. “Do we have a volunteer to start us off?” 

Peter glanced up, a few tears still streaming down his face. “Me,” he mumbled, his voice barely audible from retching and screamed. “Take—take me.” 

“Peter, no! Please don’t!” Teresa turned to Zemo. “Don’t hurt him! Please!” She continued to beg, her body shaking wildly, swinging back and fourth in the air as she struggled to somehow stop him. It only put more strain on her wrists and shoulders, greatening the pain intensely. 

Zemo chuckled. “I suppose it is only proper etiquette to allow ladies to go first.” 

“No,” Peter shook his head. “No, don’t—don’t hurt her,” he gulped. “Please.” 

The man didn’t listen, simply pretending he couldn’t even hear the boy’s pleads, that they were none existant. 

He turned away from Peter and continued nearing Teresa. On the way over, he pulled out the same knife he had used on her brother. Even from the distance he stood, she could clearly see a few drops of his blood coating the edges. 

As Zemo turned out of her field of view, Teresa bit her lip trying to stop herself from shaking and shut her eyes tightly. She startled slightly when an icy hand placed itself at the top of her neck near the collar of her shirt. She let out a soft whimper. 

Seconds later, the heard the sharp blade running through the fabric, swiftly cutting it in two. As the last thread split, her shirt dropped to the floor beneath her feet and the cool air hit her chest. She so badly wanted to cover herself back up. Her toes stretched to try and reach the shred of clothing that lay inches beneath her grasp, teasing her, but she just couldn’t get to it. 

The lone hand that was still propped up on her neck, slowly slid down the length of her back, tickling her spine. 

“Please don’t,” she whispered. 

“Tsk, tsk,” Zemo’s voice clicked and he moved in closer to her touch wrapping a hand around her chest. He leaned in, his lips tracing the edge of her ear. She tried to pull away but his free arm yanked her back and held her head in place, the whip he still held rubbed against her cheek. 

“Rule number one; you do not speak unless spoken to.” His voice was soft but not in the innocent kind of way. It was harsh and cruel. “Do I make myself clear?” 

A few tears slipped down Teresa’s cheeks as she bowed her head. “Stop.”

“The more you beg and plead with me, the worse it will become. Now, tell me, have I made myself clear?” 

Teresa remained stiff, her body refusing to move, until Zemo tightened his grip and broke her away from her trance. 

“I asked you a question. If you don’t answer, I will assume you don’t understand. And if you don’t understand,” he leaned in again and pressed a light kiss to her cheek. “This will take a very, very long time.” 

She quickly shook her head wildly, praying that he would step away now.

“Alright then,” he didn’t budge. “I ask you again. Have I made myself clear?” 

She gave a slight nod. 

He made a clicking sound with his tongue again, looking disappointed. “Tessa, I need to hear you say the words. Tell me if what I’ve said is clear,” he said childishly, as if talking to a toddler. 

Teresa glued her eyes shut and opened her mouth the slightest bit. “Yes.” It came out as a high pitched squeak. 

“‘Yes’ what?” 

She took another breath trying to steady herself. “Yes, you have made yourself clear.”

“Good,” he nodded his head and stepped away. 

Teresa immediately felt the damp air hit her bare skin again, and although it was anything but comforting, it was better than having him near her. 

Zemo continued backwards and switched the whip to his right hand, holding it firmly, and swung. 

She heard the crack before the pain set in, but when it did, it crashed down hard. 

<><><><><><><><><><>

The Avengers sat, stone cold, paralyzed in pure shock, fear, and agony as they watched the whip continued to come down, seemingly harder each time. 

Natasha, who was seated beside Clint at the edge of the couch, watched unblinking, her eyes glued directly on the screen. She was too terrified to turn away, afraid of what might what happen if she did. So she watched closely, analyzing the man’s every movement, wishing she could reach through the tape and snap his neck. If it were only that easy. 

Wanda was curled up with Vision. Her head was buried in his chest as she tried to shield her view. It was to much.  
Every so often, he would look down at her sadly and pull her form in a bit closer, trying to give her any sort of comfort. When he shifted, she did so with him, never leaving any space between them if possible.  
The Vision’s cape was half draped around the witch, acting as a blanket. Her small hands gripped the edges tightly, so hard, that her knuckles were beginning to turn white. 

Steve and Bucky were side by side on the adjoining sofa. Steve’s expression was pure and raw, he didn’t understand how someone could hurt a child like that, or hurt any human being for that matter. The thought stung his mind, and the scene sent a roaring fire blazing throughout his body, though he didn’t show it. He was doing his remain calm. He was the leader after all, and if he started to show worry, others would too. 

Bucky held his boyfriends hand tightly, unknowingly squeezing quite harshly. He was lucky Steve was a super solider as well because he didn’t seem to notice the increasing pressure.

His metal arm rested at his other side, his fingers creasing and balling into fists. Having been with Hydra for so long, practically the entirety of his life he actually recalled, he knew the pain, the fear, the screaming anxiety and the plead more than anyone else. He knew what it was like to be trapped in a psychological trance, unable to snap yourself out no matter how hard you tried. And to think that two of the people he loved the most in world were experiencing just that, broke his heart. 

Tony stood beside Pepper, shaking with rage and disgust. It took everything he had in him to not break down on the spot. His stomach curled and dropped every few seconds. His cheeks were raw from his teeth grinding down on them so hard. His head hurt, and not just in one place, the ache was everywhere, racing up and down and from side to side at lightning speed. His forehead was creased from holding a grimace, which was probably adding to pain radiating around his skull. His fingers were sore, his feet felt like they were vibrating, his neck felt limp, almost too weak to hold up his head. It was just everything, everything just ached. 

Bruce had left, unable to watch anymore. After a few minutes his face already started to show hints of green, and there was no way in hell he would be able to control it, not in this situation. Thor has followed him out without his notice, just in case. Watching the twins being violated in such a manner reminded him too much of how his father would treat Loki anyways. It was started to get difficult, even for him, to continue watching. 

And then there was May. She’d only arrived early in the morning after Happy picked her up from a late shift at work having no clue what news was about to be revealed. 

Now, it was just past 10:30 in the morning, about five hours since she first stepped foot in the tower, and she was already beaten to the bone. From the moment of finding out what had happened up to the point the video had begun, she hadn’t been able to stop crying. Only now, was she sitting stone cold, unable to move, complete paralyzed in fear. 

Tears still ran down her face, though she didn’t make a sound. Her breaths were shallow rather than heaving and hey eyes were slowly beginning to turn pink rather than beat red like they had been before. Her hand was claps with Tony’s, her head leaning on his shoulder. She resembled a broken toy, not yet thrown away, but used roughly enough, it was left unwanted and alone, the only difference being that in reality, she wasn’t alone. Although she felt it, that no one could understand the pain and heartache she was going though, there were nearly a dozen other people standing in that room at that very moment who’s hearts went out to her and her children. They all prayed, together. 

<><><><><><><><><><>

After the twelfth slash, Teresa passed out, though it didn’t stop Zemo from continuing.

Her back was bloodied and raw. Long, ragged cuts lined it’s entirely, seeping a dark red liquid that ran all they way down her legs and dribbled off her toes and onto the ground where a small pool began to form, growing slightly larger one drop at a time. 

Some of the lines were deeper than others, the whip having hit at different intensities. A few looked like they had been cut through several times, others only just breaking the skin once. Either way, her back was red and enflamed all over. 

Peter screamed the entire time. He begged for it to stop, which only resulted in more pain for his sister, Zemo having said he broke the first rule; Only to speak when spoken to. 

In all, Teresa had received twenty five lashes, ten of them being because of Peter’s disobeying. Zemo had even threatened to give her more if he didn’t stop screaming, which eventually he did, though he closed his eyes shut instead. However, that hadn’t been apart of the deal, so after Teresa had gotten to he first twenty hits, five of which had already been from her brother’s pleads, she got five more, bringing the total upwards. And Peter not only had to keep his eyes peeled open after that, but was forced to watch, intently. Rumlow held his head in place so his gaze fell directly on his twin, and he refused to let go, even after Zemo finished. 

“You did this to her,” he whispered in Peter’s ear after the whip finally brought down. “Your sister is hurt because of you. The pain she feels right now, is your fault. How will you be able to live with yourself?” 

That, Peter didn’t know. And as punishment, he refused to let himself emit a single sound during his session. Not even the slightest of whimpers left his lips. No matter how badly his lungs burned and how intensely his throat seized, Peter was silent. 

What little courage was left in his heart, he used, but it was beginning to drain, and it wouldn’t be much longer until it emptied completely. And that was the scary part, because when it was gone, the battlefield would belong to the enemy. He will have lost, and they would have full control.


End file.
